The quarterly AlfaSeeYas newsletter      Editor:  Jim Huber

Web Administrators NOTE:  The members names and address's will not be published on this site.  The full newsletter is individually mailed or e-mailed to each member.

SeeYa Connection!

Quarterly Newsletter for FMCA Chapter

Newsletter #9 - June 2005

Editor - Jim Huber - 317BKP@insightbb.com

Alfa SeeYa Officers

President - Bruce Monte - travelin_man@iname.com (phone 513-310-1735)

Vice President - Norm Duarte - GoldChip1250@aol.com

Secretary - Karen Hugo - KHugo@aol.com

Treasurer - Rosemary Monte - travelin_lady@mail.com

National Director - Tony Monson djnsnow@aol.com

Alt Nat'l Director - Bill Harju - WaHarju@pacbell.net

Address US Mail to:

AlfaSeeYas Chapter 3590 Round Bottom Rd Cincinnati, OH 45244-3026

Other Volunteers

Membership Coordinator - Hannah Dubuc - hmdubuc@direcway.com

Historian - Helen Spears - HSpears @hotmail.com

Rally Coordinator - Terry O’Neill - terry.o@prodigy.net or 119 Rainbow Dr PMB #1927

Livingston, TX 77399 (702)807-2728

EMAIL OR US MAIL? Over the past several months we have received requests from members to send their SeeYa Connection via email only. Starting with the June edition we will send their copy by email. Others will continue to receive their copy by US Mail.

If you were missed in our earlier emailing of this information, please inform our chapter secretary, Karen Hugo, that you too would like an email only copy of the SeeYa Connection. Her email address is KHugo@aol.com. NOTE: You do NOT need to send an e-mail if you want to continue to receive the newsletter via USPS mail.

The printing, collating and posting of over 600 issues of the newsletter is both time consuming and expensive; any effort saved by emailing copies where requested will be of benefit to the chapter and its volunteers.

While we are discussing communication, just one more reminder to keep the AlfaSeeYas aware of any postal address, e-mail address or phone number changes. (See change of address information in this newsletter). Make sure the information you send us is legible. A recent emailing Bruce Monte made to

over 490 members resulted in more than 25 undeliverable pieces; the reasons ranged from incorrect address, full mailbox and spam blockers.

Finally, the SeeYa Connection is quarterly, in late March, June, September and December. If you do not get your copy by the first of the following month please inform our editor and he will send you a copy. (Jim Huber at 317BKP@insightbb.com or 1104 Hampton Rd - Washington, IL 61571-1254)

President's Message Rosemary and I are presently (May 30, 2005) in the Black Hills of South Dakota, on our way to the Alfa Sundancers National Rally in Gillette WY. We look forward to meeting many Alfa friends during the Road Runners pre-rally, and the seven-day National Rally. If you haven’t had the opportunity to be part of a Sundancers’ National Rally, see if you can fit their 2006 event into your schedule. It will be April 19 thru 26, 2006 at Emerald Desert RV Resort in Palm Desert, CA. This is the same park the AlfaSeeYas use for their Western area winter rally; it is a five star facility. You will not be disappointed.

The officers and volunteers of the AlfaSeeYas are proud to announce that the membership roll has grown to over 640 coaches. We know all cannot be active in the chapter, but hope that the information and articles in this newsletter make you feel a part of this great family. Best of all -- you have the opportunity to join other AlfaSeeYas members at one of our rallies. There is information in this newsletter about a variety of rallies around the country this year and next. We are still looking into a Texas rally in March 2006 for winter Texans and others who can join us. Information for this will be in the September issue of the newsletter. We are very excited about the AlfaSeeYas 2006 Rally in Branson, MO. This is a complete rally package, very different from any held before. If you are interested, please let us know soon.

Our coaches are complicated machines and need routine maintenance. Owners must check their manuals to see when items are due for service. Unfortunately, this often requires appointments for the transmission, engine and chassis, which usually cannot be handled at the same location. If you check the books that came with your coach, you might find that there is a nearby service location that can handle two or all three. For work on the motorhome you can use an Alfa dealer, any service location, or even mobile techs. Just make sure you get Alfa’s approval before work begins (and MBA’s if your coach is more than one year old.) All our coaches have coverage past the first year. Originally, the coverage was for years two through five, with no mileage restriction. At around coach # 1100, a 70,000-mile limitation was placed on the coverage. Check your warrantee papers. While on the subject of coverage, you should also be aware that many items in the coach are covered for two or three years and you do not involve MBA for these; take a minute and look at the Equipment List.

Change of Address, Email Address, Phone Number, etc.

For AlfaSeeYa Chapter - send to:

Karen Hugo at 205 Rainbow Dr #10565 Livingston, TX 77399 or to KHugo@aool.com

For Alfa send to:

Customer Service Attn: Cheryl Danley at Alfa Leisure, Inc. 13501 5th St Chino, CA 91710

When do I need to pay my dues?

Each month members whose dues need to be paid will be contacted. If you have questions about your status contact our Membership Coordinator - Hannah Dubuc - hmdubuc@direcway.com

Replacing Caulking

From the Yahoo web site - Last September Brian from Alfa Customer Care wrote in response to a member’s inquiry about using mineral spirits to remove caulking.

Mineral Spirits are not a good idea, they can attack the finish. What we do here is:

1) Use a nylon scraper to remove most of the caulking. (It will usually pull off in strings)

2) Wipe and clean with lemon oil to get rid of the residue.

3) Clean with soap and water to remove the lemon oil residue.

4) Reseal

Alfa Leisure Web Site (alfaleisure.com).

If you have not reviewed the Alfa Leisure web site recently we suggest you have a look -- especially the section listing Product Information, Service Bulletins, Owner’s Manuals and Vendor Manuals. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader! Service Bulletins include information on Appliances, Chassis, Electrical, Exterior, Interior, LP Gas System, Miscellaneous and Plumbing.

For example: I located an article on how a few owners improved the looks of the fiberglass exterior and attached parts that “yellow” with age. (Jim Huber).

What else is new on the web?

Freightliner added a virtual factory tour of their Gaffney, SC production facility. You'll follow the assembly from start to finish. Just go to the home page (www.freightlinerchassis.com), click on the MOTORHOME bar -- when the next screen comes up, click on the Factory Tour bar and follow the prompts on the right side.

WI-FI Hotspots? Go to http://www.wififreespot.com/rv.html.

TREASURER’S REPORT As of May 31, 2005, the balance in the AlfaSeeYas treasury is $14,514.06. On March 17, 2005, at the Tifton pre-rally to the FMCA Perry, Georgia International Convention, an audit committee consisting of the following members was formed: Shirlene Chewning, Bea Christensen, Suzi Habeck and Joann Smith. The committee members were given the FMCA guidelines for conducting an audit. The audit of the financial records of the chapter took place on March 19, 2005. The financial records audited included the following: Treasurer’s daily ledger, BB&T bank statements, checkbook, deposit tickets, canceled checks, expense receipts, rally expense reports, and detailed year-end reports. The audit committee made their report and submitted it to Karen Hugo, AlfaSeeYa secretary, for her records. The financial records were found to be “in order”, “done with exceptional accuracy and detail” and “conforming with the standards laid out in the FMCA guidelines”. The committee had no recommendations for any changes to the procedures currently being used.

On behalf of the Executive Board, we thank the entire committee for their time and effort in auditing the chapter’s financial record

From the FMCA Web Site Emergency Medical Evacuation Program

Effective January 1, 2001, FMCA contracted with MEDEX Assistance Corporation to provide active family and life members with coverage under the MEDEX PLUS Program. This program helps traveling members to effectively manage the complexities and expenses of out-of-area medical and travel emergencies. Members receive this coverage with no sign-up required. Travel can be for business or pleasure at a distance of 100 or more miles from your primary residence. Coverage is provided while traveling throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. MEDEX must approve and coordinate all services. MEDEX provides members with toll-free access (800-527-0218) to travel assistance services and also coordinates and pays approved costs. To read the details go to www.FMCA.com and enter MEDEX in the search box.

As a follow up re: Registering Your Engine, Chassis and other items.

In the last edition we mentioned owner’s who had problems with Freightliner as a result of the dealer not sending in the warranty registration to Freightliner. Kathy Reikofski wrote: “Thank you for the article on the pump spring on the Caterpillar engine - I suggest they contact Caterpillar to make sure

their engine registration is complete.

Red Hat Society! - Interested in becoming a member of the “Sassy SeeYas”? The AlfaSeeYas Red Hat Chapter was formed in January at Brooksville, FL. and an inauguration luncheon will be held in Brooksville, FL in early 2006. The Queen of Vice and the Countess of the Treasury are planning a “tea” at the September 2005 Gathering in Central Illinois.

The red gloried hand of invitation and welcome is extended to all See Ya ladies. Membership is $5 yearly - sent to the Countess of the Treasury, Kris Huber, who will send you a membership card by return mail. Kris’ Romeo (Jim) will keep us posted by email. Send your check to - Kris Huber 1104 Hampton Rd Washington, IL 61571-1254 Phone 309-444-9351 or 309-635-8369(cell) email bokarcoffee@insightbb.com. Queen Mum Judith is Judie Moore 53 Loxley Crossville, TN 38558

Phone 931-267-2480 (cell) email TNTHISTLE@frontiernet.net and Vice Queen is Karolyn Lippert 18 Greenbrier Rd, Mackinaw, IL 61755-9372 Phone 309-360-5720 (cell) email klippert43@msn.com

Kingdome - Fine-tuning! Recently I had difficulty getting to the proper satellite (DirecTV) and finally called King Controls. The service tech called me within the hour and was very helpful explaining how to fine-tune the dish. If you get a 'wrong satellite' message and the green light is solid -- touch the ON switch for a brief 1001 count and the dish will seek the next satellite - DO NOT TURN THE UNIT OFF! Keep doing this until it locates the proper satellite (there are nine up there!). (Jim Huber).

When I had a problem getting my Kingdome to lock onto DISH network satellite at 119, a Kingdome tech reminded me that it is important to select the "Check Switch" option (Main Menu, 6,1,1, and then "Check Switch). This will cause the receiver to go through about a 3 minute self-check, which should enable the Kingdome to lock onto the required satellite. (Bruce Monte).

Technical Tips Owners should regularly check the condition of the caulking on the roof. One spot easily missed is the caulking at the edges of the rear fiberglass cap. The cap wraps around both sides and there is caulking located there. Easily missed, it can result in water stained bedroom ceiling.

If the manual shades by the driver and passenger will not stay down, the fix takes about ten minutes. Look at the way the shade is mounted so you can replace it when finished. Remove the unit from the ceiling. Remove the small screws holding the cap at the end with the cord. The reason the shade will not stay down is that a small wire 'spring' that needs to be resting on the sprocket. Move the spring back in place and reassemble the shade. Then re-hang.

Phone Number Change for Atwood I recently attempted to contact Atwood about a water heater question - the number on my Alfa supplied Data Sheet was 815-877-7461. Thanks to Brian at Alfa Care I now have the correct number which is 800-825-4328. I suggest you check your data sheet to make sure you have the correct phone number. (Jim Huber)